There are 5 screws to remove. One is visible on top of the cleaner. All are star shaped screws which can be removed using a small flat bladed driver. The other 4 screws are behind the wheels, 2 on each side. To get at these remove the on/off paddle and recoil cable paddle. These are just clipped on and can be prised off. The recoil paddle is a little tricky to remove because of the elbow pipe above it. You will need to remove the elbow by carefully levering it upwards. Careful not damage the plastic surround. It will come off. Then lever each wheel away from the chassis to expose 2 screws beneath. Undo both sets on each side. Then lift the top part of the chassis away by levering the wheels away as you lift away the top half of the chassis. The cable mechanism and motor are then exposed and easily removed and replaced/or repaired. NB The wheels will not come off until you split the chassis and then if you wish, the wheels can be pushed out from the inside.
Ross Underwood, October 2004